Guest Editorial

BY LAWRENCE SELLIN | DECEMBER 18, 2013

Obama is not a Pathological Liar, he is an Ideological Liar

Like communism, the collapse of the Obama Administration agenda is inevitable, not solely as a result of its many flawed policies, but because it lacks an ethical dimension in regard to individual rights, justifiable criteria for its use of state coercion and, in particular, a respect for the truth.

Stated simply, Obama lies because the true objectives of his fundamental transformation of the United States are incompatible with American democracy and tradition.

Barack Obama's devotion to the Machiavellian dictum of "the ends justify the means" and lying as an instrument of government policy have been the tools of political extremists throughout history.

Such means have their philosophical foundations in the ethical theory of Consequentialism, but have been applied for despotic ends.

The theory holds that the consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness of that conduct. Thus, a morally "right" act or omission is one that will produce a "good" outcome from the standpoint of the consequentialist.

Extending the philosophy of Consequentialism into the realm of politics and economics, one can recognize the elite-led and state-dictated lies of socialists and communists in the sale and implementation of ObamaCare.

To Obama, however, they are not lies. It is acceptable to use bad or immoral methods as long as you accomplish something "good" by using them. In other words, in order to achieve what you consider as an important aim, it is acceptable to do something bad. Morally "right" consequences often necessitate morally wrong actions and what is considered "right" or "wrong" is determined by the outcome.

Obama does not necessarily believe what he is saying, but by saying it, he confirms the purity of his intentions through advancing his statist goals and revolutionary dreams.

The scope and gravity of the lies perpetrated by this administration e.g. Fast and Furious, Benghazi, the IRS scandal, and ObamaCare would have, long ago, been sufficient to force the resignation of a Republican president. Yet Obama and his people remain in office and are yet to be held accountable.

Columnist John Podhoretz wrote that the Obama Administration lied about ObamaCare because it could. Obama has always had the protection of his liberal base, the Democratic Senate and, most importantly, the mainstream media, all of whom have dismissed or downplayed the scandals and have impeded aggressive investigations into them.

The arrogance and mendacity of the Obama White House is directly proportional to misplaced political loyalty and a submissive and willfully blind press.

From a child-rearing standpoint, Dr. Phil may agree:

"People do what works. If lying has gotten your child what he wants while escaping accountability from you, the payoff is a luring incentive to continue. It's a parent's responsibility not to let it continue by creating consequences."

The political lying will continue until those who should be holding the Obama Administration accountable acknowledge their own responsibility in perpetuating such behavior, as Dr. Phil suggests:

"If you have caught your child lying, and in retrospect realize that you were naïve in believing far-fetched stories and excuses, acknowledge your accountability in that and stop being so gullible. You may still desperately want to believe that your child isn't lying to you, but chances are, if his lips are moving, he's lying."

The collapse of the Obama agenda is coming. One can only hope that political leaders and journalists regain a respect for the truth before the country also collapses.

Lawrence Sellin, Ph.D. is a retired colonel with 29 years of service in the US Army Reserve and a veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq. Colonel Sellin is the author of Restoring the Republic: Arguments for a Second American Revolution. He receives email at lawrence.sellin@gmail.com.